OUTLOOK
1986-87 Kentucky Outlook
While the loss of consensus All-America forward Kenny Walker leaves a considerable gap to fill, even Coach Eddie Sutton admits the cupboard is far from bare at the University of Kentucky. In his first season as the Wildcat head coach last year, Sutton took a team picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference and guided it to a 32-4 record, a Southeastern Conference championship, an SEC tournament title, a spot in the NCAA Tournament "Final Eight" and a third-place national ranking. For his efforts, Sutton was named national "Coach of the Year" by the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Sutton will be hard-pressed to match those accomplishments in 86-87. Gone are Kenny Walker, a national "Player of the Year" candidate who averaged 20.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game; Roger Harden, a playmak-ing guard who set a UK record with 232 assists and averaged 6. 8 points a game; and the popular Leroy Byrd, a 5-5 guard whose aggressive antics excited Wildcat fans. The three represent a loss of 28.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Sutton will look to three returning starters for leadership in 86-87  forward Winston Bennett and guards Ed Davender and James Blackmon.
Bennett earned All-SEC honors last season as the Wildcats' second-leading scorer (12.7) and re-bounder (7.0). The 6-7 forward from Louisville, Ky., enters his senior season as the most consistent
returnee from 85-86, having scored in double figures in 28 of UK's 36 games last year. Bennett is an excellent defensive player, usually drawing the assignment guarding the opponent's best front-line player.
Davender was the third-leading scorer for the Wildcats in 85-86, averaging 11.5 points a contest. The 6-2 junior guard from Brooklyn, N.Y, was the second-leading assist man for the Wildcats and Coach Eddie Sutton calls Davender "one of the best defensive players in the country." He led the Wildcats in steals last season with 59.
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Quick Facts
Head Coach: Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958)
Record at Kentucky: 32-4 (1 season)
Career Record: 174-129 (17 seasons)
Assistant Coaches: James Dickey (Central Arkansas, 1976) Dwane Casey (Kentucky, 1979) Doug Barnes (Oklahoma State, 1968) Wayne Breeden (Kentucky, 1983)
1985-86 Record: 32-4
Conference Record and Finish: 17-1 (Champion) 1985-86 Post-Season Play: 3-1 (NCAA) Starters Lost:
Kenny Walker (6-7, Forward, 20.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg) Roger Harden (6-1, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 6.4 apg) Manors Returning:
Winston Bennett (6-7 Senior Forward, 12.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) Ed Davender (6-2 Junior Guard, 11.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg) James Blackmon (6-3 Senior Guard, 9.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Other Top Returnees: Richard Madison (6-7 Junior Forward, 4.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg) Cedric Jenkins (6-9 Junior Forward/Center, 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg) Robert Lock (6-10 Junior Center, 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Top Newcomers: Rex Chapman (6-4, 175. Freshman Guard, 25.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg) Derrick Miller (6-6, 170, Freshman Guard/Forward, 26.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg)